Fused convenience outlet



March 21, 1939. D. G. KIMBALL 2,151,555

FUSED CONVENIENCE OUTLET Filed Sept. 9, 1.937

55555 v f s i 9 lfiverwtorfi I Donald G. Kimball,

Hi Attorney.

Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES FUSED CONVENIENCE OUTLET Donald G. Kimball, Stratford, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application September 9, 1937, Serial No. 163,087

6 Claims.

tary structure whereby it may be easily handled.

and installed,

Another object of the invention is to provide a fused convenience outlet adapted for either stud or yoke mounting and which may be arranged for insertion of the fuse plug from either the front or the rear.

A further object of .the invention is to provide a combined fuse and convenience outlet which is simple in structure, easily assembled, and capable of being manufactured at low cost.

Other objects of the invention and the advantages thereof will be pointed out in the following specification.

One application of the invention is in connection with electric ranges whereby there is provided on the electric range a fused convenience outlet. It will be understood, however, that the invention may be used wherever found applicable.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a top plan view of a fused convenience outlet embodying the invention, yoke mounted at its front end on a support which may be an electric range panel, and arranged for insertion and removal of the fuse from the rear; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken in line 2-2, Fig, 1, the support or panel being omitted; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the fused convenience outlet stud mounted at the rear on a support which may be an electric range sub-panel, it being in this instance arranged for insertion and removal of the fuse from the front; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4, Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the fused convenience outlet.

Referring to the drawing, 6 indicates a mounting block formed of suitable insulating' inaterial such as a suitable molding compound, comprising a base or housing-1 which forms a part of the fuse socket, and a base or housing 8 which'forms a part of the convenience outlet. The bases or housings I and 8 are preferably molded as a unitary structure although they may be separately molded and afterwards suitably fastened to- 1 gether.

The base I has a cylindrical wall which provides a central opening 9 for the reception of a screw shelli In its front and rear edges, the wall of base I is provided with symmetricalLv arranged notches l0 and II, the notches ll being located adjacent to the base 8 and being connected by vtached to plate 19 by a rivet 21.

a groove l2. Also, base I is provided with openings l3 symmetrically arranged on its front and rear sides for the reception of cover plate fastening screws. Base 8 for the convenience outlet comprises walls which form two pockets 14 open at the rear for the reception of the convenience outlet contacts, and it is provided in its front wall or face IS with slots 16 which communicate with pockets l4 and through which the prongs of a connecting cap may be inserted. At its rear, base 8 is provided with a transversely extending notch I1, and at its front end it is provided with shoulders l8 adapted to fit against the rear of the panel or other plate on which the device is mounted. v

For mounting on the fuse base 1, there is provided a sub-assembly comprising a plate IQ of insulating material on which is mounted a metallic screw shell 20. The screw shell has inturned flanges 2| on opposite sides which rest against plate l9 and are fastened to the plate by rivets 22 which serve also to hold in place a yoke 23 carried by the inner end of a contact strip 24 provided with a binding screw 25. Strip 24 extends through a notch in the screw shell and projects well beyond the plate l9. Since yoke 23 is in contact with the screw shell 20, strip 24 is electrically connected to the screw shell and serves as one terminal for the fuse. The other terminal or central terminal 26 of the fuse socket is at- It projects through a notch in the side of screw shell and its outer end is turned upwardly at right angles to provide an car 28 which is parallel to and. stands in spaced relation to screw shell 20. This sub-assembly is adapted to be inserted into the opening 9 of base 1 from either the front or the rear. Fig. 2 shows it as having been inserted fronTthe-rear and Fig. 4 shows it as having been inserted from the front. In either case, the car 28 lies in groove l2 in close engagement with the wall'of base 1. The contact strip 24 lies in the notch ID at either the front or the rear of base 1, depending on the side from which the sub-assembly is inserted. The sub-assembly is held in place by a cover plate 29 fastened in position by screws 30 which engage the openings l3 at either the front or the rear of the base 1,, depending upon from which side the assembly is inserted. Preferably, the screw shell embodies a grip wire 3| which serves to hold the fuse plug in the shell.

For mounting in the convenience outlet base 8, there is provided a second sub-assembly comprising a rectangular insulating plate 32 on which v is mounted in spaced relation upstanding contacts 33 adapted to fltin the pockets ll. Connected with one of the contacts 33 is a contact plate 34 in which is a binding screw 35 and connected with the other contact is a connecting ear 36 which extends at right angles to the plane of plate 32 and in a direction opposite to, the contacts 33. This sub-assembly is inserted into the base 8 from the rear, the two contacts 33 occupying the pockets and the contact strip 34 entering the notch I 1. When thus positioned, car 36 lies alongside and in engagement with the ear 29 and the ears are mechanically and electrically connected together by a screw 31. After the subassmbly is in position, a plate 39 of insulating material is placed over plate 32 to assist in holding it in place and to insulate the contacts. Plate 38 is held in position by a mounting yoke 39 which fits around the base 3 as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and is fastened in position by screws 40. Yoke 39 has ears II by which the yoke may be attached to a front plate or cover panel for front mounting and a mounting stud 42 by means of which it may be attached to a mounting plate or sub-panel at the rear of the device for rear mounting.

In Fig. 1, the structure is shown as front or yoke mounted, it being attached to a front support or panel 43 by bolts 44. Panel 43 is provided with an opening through which the front end of base 3 projects, shoulder l9 engaging the rear surface of the panel to position the base relatively to the panel. In Fig. 3, the structure is shown as stud mounted from the rear, the stud 2 being attached to a rear support on sub-panel 45 by nuts 46. In this case, ears ll of yoke 39 rest against the front plate or cover panel 41 which in this instance serves as a finishing plate.

When the structure is used for front mounting, as shown in Fig. 1, the fuse assembly is inserted from the front, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the fuse plug is positioned from the rear. The fuse plug I8 is then inserted and removed from the rear. When the structure is used for rear or stud mounting, the fuse assembly is inserted from the rear, as shown in Fig. 4 so that the fuse plug is positioned from the front. When the fuse is to be removed and replaced, the front plate or cover panel may be removed to give access to it. v

When installed, one side of the line is connected to contact strip 24 and. the other side of the line is connected to contact strip 34, thus connecting the fuse in series with the convenience outlet.

By my invention, I provide a unitary fused either the front or the rear.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is:

1. A fused convenience outlet comprising a mounting block having a convenience outlet base and a fuse socket base, contacts in the convenience'outlet .base, a shell contact and center contact adaptedto be mounted in the fuse socket base from either the front or rear thereof, and means connecting one of the convenience outlet contacts to one of the fuse socket contacts.

2. A fused convenience outlet comprising a mounting block having a convenience outlet baseand a fuse socket base, the latter comprising a cylindrical wall defining an open ended passage, a sub-assembly comprising a shell member and a center contact member adapted to be mounted in said passage from either the front or the rear, contacts in said convenience outlet base, and means connecting one of said contacts to one of said members.

3. A fused convenience outlet comprising a convenience outlet base, contacts carried thereby, means comprising a mounting yoke and a stud for supporting theoutlet base on one of a plurality of supports, a fuse socket base carried by the convenience outlet base at one side thereof, a shell member and a center contact member carried by the fuse socket base, and means connecting one of said members to one of said contacts.

4. A fused convenience outlet comprising a convenience outlet base, a sub-assembly mounted on said base comprising an insulating plate and convenience outlet contacts on the plate, a mounting yoke for holding the sub-assembly in position on said base, a fuse socket base carried by the convenience outlet base, a second sub-assembly comprising an insulating plate, having a screw shell member and a center contact member fixed thereon mounted on the fuse socket base, and means connecting one of said members on said second sub-assembly to one of said contacts on said first sub-assembly.

5. In combination, a mounting block having a convenience outlet base and a fuse base located side by side and having a groove located between said bases, contacts in the convenience outlet base, means for connecting a conductor to one of the contacts, a connecting strip connected to the other contact and disposed in said groove, fuse contacts in the fuse base, means for connecting a conductor to one of said fuse contacts, a connecting strip connected to the other fuse contact and disposed in said groove adjacent said first-named connecting strip, and means for connecting said connecting strips together.

6. In combination, a mounting block having a convenience outlet base and a fuse base located side by side, the latter comprising a cylindrical wall, contacts in the convenience outlet base, means for connectinga conductor to one of said contacts, a connecting strip connected to the other contact, fuse contacts adapted to be mounted on said cylindrical wall from either the front or rear thereof, means for connecting a conductor to one of said fuse contacts, a connecting strip connected to the other fuse contact which is brought into position adjacent to the first named connecting strip when the fuse contacts are mounted from either the front or the rear of said wall, and means connecting said contact strips together.

DONALD G. KIMBALL. 

